Thursday, August 25, 2011

It looks like we may be having some yummy blackberry cobbler in the very near future!

Feeding the rainbow trout at the fish hatchery.

Look at them all! It's enough to give a fisherman heart palpitations!

Just a pretty view east, as we leave the fish hatchery.

Head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd! What do those clouds in the background look like to you? Did you ever just lay on your back and watch the clouds form? Definitely reminds me of a lazy summer day as a child! May your day be filled with child-like faith!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Welcome to our monthly blog hop! Our theme this month corresponds with our Design Team Delights gallery theme “Back to School”. Each month we offer several prizes for blog hop participants. For members of Christian Paper Crafts, that includes a crafty prize generously donated by a fabulous company. This month we are thrilled to have Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps donate the versatile set Many Thanks for our member prize. You definitely want to win this! To join in our blog hop, you just need to make a NEW card or project that goes along with our theme (“Back to School”) and add the direct link from your blog post to the collection at the CREATIVE BLOG. The collection is only open from Monday, August 22 at 8:00 AM EST through Wednesday, August 24 at 11:59 PM EST. You may add your link at any time during that window. Be sure and check out the CPC Creative Blog for more info!

Here is a very simple card with a powerful verse. And what better verse to memorize and know than that the Lord is our Strength and Shield, especially during "test" time! Of course, test time does not necesarily mean a classroom test...kwim?

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Yay! It's the weekend! Oh wait a minute, I have to work today! That's okay, it should be a fun (and busy) day at work, we are having a crop going on to benefit the Boys and Girls Club (all the crop fees and 10% of all the purchases today will benefit the local club!) If you are in the Eureka, CA. area be sure and stop by Scrapper's Edge and support the Boys and Girls Club!
Before heading to work I want to share a very special thank you card I made for some friends of ours that did something very sweet for us. They made reservations for us to stay at a very nice place (The Palomar Hotel for 2 nights!) so that we could celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary in style!! Isn't that so cool!! So we will be heading to San Francisco in the near future to take in a Giants game and enjoy a bit of pampering! I can hardly wait, I'm still pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming!!

The main ingredients for this card come from the July Key Ingredient Kit from Taylored Expressions (designer paper, card stock, ribbon and chipboard fence). The Stamp set is actually two different sets from T.E. Garden Party Blooms and the sentiment: Much Appreciated) Ink: Memento Tuxedo black; I've colored the bloom with my Copic Markers: R21, R22, R32 then sponged the edges with Distress Inks: Worn Lipstick and very lightly with Vintage Photo. Liquid Pearls (Ranger) White Opal were used for the center of the flower. The stem and petals were colored with Copics: YG11, YG23,YG45, YG93,YG99 and E79. The border punch is EK Success Scallop Diamond.

The Scripture is a Verve Stamp (Psalm 37:4)

The recipients of this card will completely understand the verse I've chose!

Close up to see the chip board fence that I painted with Adirondack (Lights) Dabbers, Juniper, and then added Old Papers Crackle Paint - you'll need to enlarge the photo to see that effect and I also sanded the edges of the fence to give it a shabby, peeled look. The shimmery bow (from the Taylored Expressions Key Ingredient July kit is a fun chic accent!)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!
Today is thankful Thursday. Today I'm thanking the Lord for the beautiful colors in my yard. I took all (but 2 ) of these pictures this morning.

The ever faithful and hardy Petunias!

I caught this in the morning before they open up completely. (another Petunia in the background)

(I took this the other day in full sunlight)

A pretty yellow rose that was transplanted years ago from a dear friends yard.

A Dahlia from the front yard.

A gorgeous Hydrangea! Love the colors.

My pretty and most favorite rose in my yard.

This is a Dahlia with some lillies in the background. My uncle gave me the bulbs and wasn't sure what was going to show up!! (ha!)

This is a Rock Rose bush (I personally don't care for it in my yard - it has a tendency to take over but dh likes it so..... It is pretty when it's blooming.

This Wisteria is blooming a second time, I didn't do the planting or any research on this but it always seems to bloom once in the early spring and then again in the summer. It could be that 2 different species was planted because we also have a white blossomed one that is beautiful with the purple in the spring.

Thanks for taking time out to visit my flower garden, I hope you enjoyed the tour!

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. (and I'll be thankful, too!)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Welcome to the Taylored Expression's Blast From the Past blog hop!! If you are following in order you should be coming from Margie's blog

The theme for this month's hop is "Collectors Anonymous". I guess I'm having a hard time parting with some of my pretties but I did manage to add a piece of ribbon, a button and a brad so I hope that counts!! Perhaps I do belong to that club of "hoarders" (oh dear!!) But I can honestly say it's not so much the pretty embellies as much as it is the pretty papers. Do you have a hard time cutting into them too? Well my card went in a different direction because when I think of collecting it made me think of my mom, who loves to sew and has MOUNDS of fabric and has 3 sewing machines each with it's own purpose! And oh my the spools of thread and I cannot forget to mention the button jar, no lacking there! I think I'll give her this card, she will love it!

Thanks to Sankari for the fun sketch. I took some liberties but I sure appreciate the inspiration! (The list of participating hoppers will be at the end of this post!)

I'm sure you'll be inspired by all the crafty blogs! Your next stop isBonnie so have a great week and enjoy the hop! Thanks for visiting and leaving a delightful comment!! It's always an encouragement!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Hey there Delightful friends! Thanks for dropping by and visiting my blog! It's a new week and I had a pretty restful weekend, which I'm so grateful for! Nothing really pressing over and above the usual, which makes me very thankful. So this gave me some unwinding and relaxing time at my craft table so I played with paper and my Copic markers and watched the S.F. Giants play (or rather listen to them since my eyes were focused on my coloring!)

Hey Delightful Friends and Family! We are enjoying summer days here and I truly don't want to make you think about this BUT here, school IS just around the corner again! Can you believe it? Do you even want to think about it? Me either! HOWEVER... here in northern California, school will be starting in just a couple more weeks, (just when the weather is starting to cooperate and act like summer, too!). Well, that's just our neck of the woods and something we've learned to accept living in the north end of the state. Late summer is always gorgeous around here and we enjoy it. I don't have to go to school although I almost always ;-) like those teachable moment that come along! Are we ever too old to learn?!

On the 15th of each month Christian Paper Craftsopens the Design Team Delights private gallery for all Super Sisters and King’s Daughters subscription holders, there are cards, scrapbook layouts and fun altered projects that go along with this months theme of Back To School. The five days prior to that are the Gracious Glimpses for all to see at theCreative Blog!

Many of you have grandchildren or nieces and nephews that do not live close, I think it would be nice to send them a card and let them know you are keeping them lifted up in prayer during the school year. I have a nephew who is starting as a new student at a Christian School and is having some family issues that could make things a little bit harder for him to stay focused. I won't be sending him this card (just a little too girlie for a boy!) but I've made another one that will do nicely. So here is my sneak peek:

I just love this little digi from ByLORiDesigns! Her name is Lacey Lollipop. I've printed and resized the digi image using Microsoft Publisher 10 and printed her out on Neenah (Bright White). After coloring with my Copic Markers I used the Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities Die from Spellbinders to cut the shape and to frame out the image. The finished card is A2.

Thanks for looking and I hope you'll leave a delightful comment! Don't forget to check out the other sneak peaks at the Creative Blog!! You won't be disappointed, there have been some fabulous projects shared to inspire you!

Don't forget that you can join the fun on August 22, if you have a Back to School themed project we'd love for you to LINK UP with us and share at the Christian Paper Crafts Creative Blog Hop!!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Hello Delightful friends and family!
Thought I'd play in these fun summer challenges. Clean and Simple is the technique and summer/botanicals is the theme.

Cindy Coutts Designs is having an impromptu challenge to show her appreciation to Paper Creations Magazine and there will be blog candy for the winner so be sure and check out all the requirements (very minimal) and join the challenge and win a wonderful stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

Also Moxie Fab World is having a challenge called "Fanatical About Botanical"

I've been in a real creative slump lately so starting out with a CAS card, although out of my comfort zone (all that white space, YIKES!) worked out pretty well. Hope you like it! Thanks Cindy for inspiring me to get "crafty" and thanks Jan for encouraging me to play the challenges! Be sure and check out Christian Paper Crafts for the latest challenges we have going on too!! Did you know we have a whole thread dedicated to just Cricut techniques? And another thread specifically for Spellbinders dies? Our gallery is full of wonderful projects by the members that will amaze you and inspire you too. So, won't you consider joining us at Christian Paper Crafts for encouragement, Bible study and lots of fun inspiration with paper crafts!